Sonic Youth

Born into the No Wave scene, surviving the Reagan and MTV years and now thriving in the age of iTunes, Sonic Youth's career is a lesson in DIY done right. The five-piece has stretched the confines of rock 'n' roll, injecting melodic structure with fits of noise and feedback, building the foundation for bands like Nirvana — whom Sonic Youth took under its wing in the early '90s — to blow the lid off of mainstream radio. The band has seen very few lineup changes over the last three decades, maintaining a steady touring schedule and producing over a dozen studio albums, including 2009's ragged and awesome The Eternal. From headlining Lollapalooza in 1995 to curating and playing an edition of All Tomorrow's Parties, Sonic Youth remains one of the most influential experimental bands of the last twenty years.

Bree Davies is a writer, reporter and radio host born and raised in the Queen City of the Plains. Follow Bree on Twitter."